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The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor

John Barth

A National Book Award winner offers his most inventive novel to date. Journalist Simon Behler finds himself in the house of Sinbad the Sailor after being washed ashore during a seagoing adventure. Over the course of six evenings, the two take turns recounting their voyages in a brilliantly entertaining weave of stories within stories.

“His ability to contrive a really preposterous situation is impressive. His gift of gab is impressive, too.”
— New York Times

“There is no one writing today who has the resources of his imagination or the depth of understanding about the nature of narrative.”
— Richard Lehan, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Barth can pick literature apart in a narrative, play with it, and finally make restoration just in time for it to accomplish its ancient purposes of amusement and revelation.”
— Jack Richardson, The New Republic